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Sunday, 15 May 2016

A bit of mending

Today I am Slow Sunday mending. These jeans have been sitting around waiting for me to get to this for so long I'm not prepared to admit a time frame but this is their moment. I have made a start, and aim to get them finished today, so that I can start wearing them again. There was a time when I would have worn them with the tiny hole and just let it grow, but since I tried my first mending, last year, I am less inclined to do this.

Last year's mend drew comments along the 'pretty but not very practical' lines, but let me show you how they look after a year of pretty solid wear:

The tear has maybe doubled in size, none of the stitches have given. I used Coats Dual Purpose thread for this mend and am sticking with that for the new one: can't fault its performance.

This time I thought I'd try something just a bit different, so am using cross stitch.

The patch of new denim is on the inside; the pins show you roughly where its edges are.

I just last week bought Voyage autour de la Laine, by Segolaine Schweitzer and published by Quiltmania. Her work reminded me strongly of your work. She uses a mending stitch to loosely join wool patches, and now here you are, mending! It's so interesting, and considerable food for thought!

I always used Laura Ashley floral fabrics to patch over, (and beneath) worn or torn areas on my jeans and times came when the mix of florals took over the jeans lolAt 66 florals don't quite look right now on me sighhhh, so now I too use denim inserts or add ons and since watching Jude's slow stitching for some years now, I too 'Boro' stitch my patches with a sashiko ish style.Love, love what you've done and it never occurred to me to beautify even more, with cross stitches!Wonderful - may have to borrow your idea -( hmmm how about a dandelion seeds head too, with escaping flighty seeds! )

Whoever said darning was 'pretty but not practical'? Surely we've darned for thousands of years precisely because it is practical - as your year old repair goes to show! I love darning - any chance to play with the mushroom! Are you using one too? Love the cross stitch idea - now that is pretty :)